Compact area lighting luminaire

ABSTRACT

A compact area lighting luminaire substantially externally symmetrical about a vertical axis and having a base portion, an optical cavity above the base portion and a cover closing off the upper end of the optical cavity. The light center of the light source is located at the vertical centerline of the luminaire in the optical cavity with the base of the light source and the lamp socket tilted away from the vertical and located within the base portion toward one side thereof in a horizontal plane in which the lamp ballast and the photocell are also located at spaced locations about the luminaire centerline.

United States Patent [721 Inventors Joseph L. Winpisinger [54] COMPACTAREA LIGHTING LUMINAIRE 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 240/25, 240/3, 240/84, 240/93, 240/81 LD [51] Int. Cl F2ls1/10 [50] Field 01 Search 240/25, 3,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,489,076 1 1/1949Bjontegard 240/25 2,887,568 5/ 1959 Franck 240/93 PrimaryExaminer-Samuel S. Matthews Assistant Examinen-E. M. Bero Attorneys-A.T. Stratton, W. D. Palmer and Blair R.

Studebaker ABSTRACT: A compact area lighting luminaire substantiallyexternally symmetrical about a vertical axis and having a base portion,an optical cavity above the base portion and a cover closing off theupper end of the optical cavity. The light center of the light source islocated at the vertical centerline of the luminaire in the opticalcavity with the base of the light source and the lamp socket tilted awayfrom the vertical and located within the base portion toward one sidethereof in a horizontal plane in which the lamp ballast and thephotocell are also located at spaced locations about the luminairecenterline.

PATENTED um 519m sum 1 or 2 &

Joseph L, Winpismgey and Edmund L. IZZI ATTORNEY PATENTEUUBI 5l97l sum 2OF 2 mdE COMPACT AREA LIGHTING LUMINAIRE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONalso a photocell when it is desired that the luminaire have the facilityfor turning off and on in response to ambient light levels. Essentially,two alternatives are available in the prior art for internallyorganizing the components of a post top luminaire. In the first and mostcommon assembly the ballast components are grouped below the lamp socketrather then the other alternative which places the ballast componentsbeside the lamp socket for the reason that the height increase caused byplacing the ballast beneath the lamp socket was not as offensive as theincreased diameter resulting from placing the ballast beside the lampsocket. Photocontrols have been almost universally placed on top of theluminaire in a separate housing which not only adds to the height of theluminaire but gives the appearance that the luminaire is wearing a toosmall hat. The other alternative for photocontrol mounting has been toplace the photocontrol below the luminaire in the pole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide acompact post top-type luminaire having a low profile and without anexcessive diameter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a compact arealighting luminaire in which the essential elements such as the lampsocket, the ballast components, and the photocontrol are located withinthe luminaire housing.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a compactsymmetrical area lighting luminaires in which the light center ofhorizontal light source may be located along the centerline of theluminaire but with substantial size reduction.

The foregoing objects are accomplished in accordance with the presentinvention by providing, in a compact area lighting luminaire having asubstantially symmetrical external configuration about a verticalcenterline, a base portion, an optical cavity above the base portion anda cover member closing off the top of the optical cavity; and in whichthe lamp socket, the ballast means and the photocontrol means are alldisposed within the base portion about the vertical centerline with thelamp socket mounted at an angle with respect to the centerline so that alamp mounted in the lamp socket will extend into the optical cavity withits light center falling at about the vertical centerline of theluminaire. The base portion of the luminaire of the present invention isfurther provided with a window located in the wall of the base portionadjacent the photocell to pennit the photocell to sense ambient lightlevels externally of the luminaire,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The foregoing objects, and others,along with many of the attendant advantages of the present inventionwill become more readily apparent and better understood as the followingdetailed description is considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevational view of a post top luminaire con- 1 FIG. 5is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-Vl of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to thedrawings wherein like reference characters represent like partsthroughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. I a sideelevational view of an area lighting luminaire constructed in accordancewith the present invention and generally designated 10. The luminaire 10includes a base or housing portion I2 having secured thereto a pluralityof upstanding rib members 14 which terminate in a top cover andrefractor supporting ring 16 (FIG. 3). The base portion or housing 12has at its bottom an extension or slip-fitter 18 to facilitate theattaching of the post top luminaire to a lamppost 20. A glass or plasticrefractor or refractor sections 22 are mounted between the base portionor housing 12 and the support ring I6 and a top cover member 24 issecured to the housing 12 through the support ring 16 in a manner laterto be described.

As indicated previously, prior art post top luminaires have had problemsof excessive height because the ballast components have been locatedbelow the lamp socket or the ballast components have been located to theside of the lamp socket while the lamp socket was positioned on thevertical centerline of the post top luminaire, thus providing excessivelateral dimension to the luminaire. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and3, it will be seen that in the post top luminaire of the presentinvention the lamp socket 26, the ballast components 28 and thephotocell socket 30 are all located in the same horizontal plane aboutthe vertical axis 32 of the luminaire. In order to maintain theintegrity of the light distribution it is still necessary to have thelight center 33 of the lamp 34 lie in the vertical centerline or axis 32of the luminaire and this is accomplished by tilting the lamp socket 26at a preselected angle so that the light center 33 of a lamp 34, whenthreaded into the socket 26, will fall at about the luminaire centerline32.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the photocell socket 30 may be equipped with aphotocell 36 with its light-receiving window or aperture 38 adjacent awindow 40 in the sidewall of the base portion or housing 12.

The baffle plate 42 serves a threefold purpose. First the flange 43 onthe baffle plate 42 is retained in the upper part of the base portion 12between the ribs 14 and serves as a platform upon which the refractor 22sits. Secondly, the baffle plate 42 prevents light from the lamp 34 fromentering the base portion or housing 12 and inhibits the photocell 40from seeing light from its own light source. Thirdly, the baffle plate42 serves to reflect any downwardly directed light out through therefractor 22 or upwardly to reflect from the underside of the top cover24. The baffle 42 is provided with an aperture 44 through which the lamp34 is threaded into the socket 26.

The refractor 22 may be of single piece construction or may beconstructed of interchangeable quarter sections in order to permit theselective variation of the light pattern emanating from the luminaire.When quarter section panels are used to construct the refractor 22, itis common to use wire rings 46 at the top and the bottom of the assemblyto assist in retaining the assembly together. A plurality of springclips 48, mounted to the top ring 16 at 50 have a curved end portionwhich is seated in a complementary notch 52 in the upper edge of therefractor and serves to retain the refractor assembly firmly in positionagainst the flange 43 on the baffle 42.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the top cover member 24 is hinged to the upperring 16 at 54 and permits the top cover member to be pivoted away toprovide for lamp servicing. The top cover member 24 is secured at itsother side to the upper ring 54 by a plurality of threaded bolts 56.When it is necessary to change the lamp 34, threaded bolts 56 areremoved and the top cover member pivoted away to provide access to theoptical cavity through the top of the luminaire.

At the bottom of the bottom portion or housing 12 is located theslip-fitter arrangement 18 for securing the luminaire to the top of apole. A plurality of stop members 58 are secured to the bottom of thebase portion 12 by bolts 60 to limit the depth of penetration of thepole 20 into the slip-fitter 18. The luminaire is secured to the pole 20by a plurality of set screws 19 in the sides of the slip-fitter 18.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, the compact post top luminaireof the present invention substantially reduces the size of the posttop-type luminaire by placing the ballast components, the lamp socketand the photocell in substantially the same horizontal plane within thebase portion 12 with all of these elements positioned about the verticalcenterline of the luminaire. This arrangement in conjunction with thetilted lamp socket provides, in addition to a reduction in overallluminaire size, for the light center of a lamp to fall along thecenterline of the luminaire.

Since numerous changes may be made in the abovedescribed apparatus anddifferent embodiments of the invention may be made without departingfrom the spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theforegoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim as our invention:

1. A compact area lighting luminaire having a substantially symmetricalexternal configuration about a vertical centerline and comprising:

a hollow base portion, a refractor above said base portion defining anoptical cavity, and a cover member closing 011' the top of said opticalcavity;

a lamp socket, ballast means and photocontrol means disposed within saidhollow base portion about said vertical centerline, said lamp socketbeing mounted offset from and at an angle with respect to centerline,whereby a lamp mounted in said lamp socket will extend into said opticalcavity with its light center falling at about said vertical centerline.

2. A compact area alighting luminaire according to claim I wherein abaffle plate separates said base portion and said optical cavity, saidbaffle plate having an aperture therein, offset from said verticalcenterline for receiving said lamp and socket therethrough.

3. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 1 wherein awindow is located in the wall of said base portion adjacent saidphotocell to thereby permit said photocell to sense ambient light levelsexternally of said luminaire.

4. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 1 wherein saidlamp socket, photocell and ballast means lie within substantially thesame horizontal plane.

5. A compact area lighting luminaire having a substantially symmetricalexternal configuration about a vertical centerline and comprising;

a base portion, a refractor above said base portion defining an opticalcavity and a cover member closing off the top of said optical cavity;

a lamp socket and ballast means disposed within said base portion, saidlamp socket being mounted offset from and at an angle other than withrespect to said centerline, whereby a lamp mounted in said lamp socketwill extend into said optical cavity with its light center falling atabout said vertical centerline.

6. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5 wherein abaffle plate separates said base portion and said optical cavity, saidbaffle plate having an aperture therein, ofiset from said verticalcenterline for receiving a lamp mounted in said socket therethrough.

7. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5 wherein aphotocontrol is also disposed within said base portion and a window islocate in the wall of said base portion adjacent said photocontrol tothereby permit said photocontrol to sense ambient light levelsexternally of said luminaire.

8. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5 wherein saidlamp socket and ballast means lie within substantially the samehorizontal plane.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 610,919Dated October 5 mm lnventofls) Joseph L. Winpisineer and Edmund L. IzziIt is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent andthat said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 1, line 10, before "centerline" insert said Signed and sealed this16th day of May 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

ROBERT GOTTSCHALK EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents USCOMM-DC 50316-P69 1r u.s GOVERNMENT PRINTING orncs: lasso-sss-su FORM PO-105O (10-69)

1. A compact area lighting luminaire having a substantially symmetricalexternal configuration about a vertical centerline and comprising: ahollow base portion, a refractor above said base portion defining anoptical cavity, and a cover member closing off the top of said opticalcavity; a lamp socket, ballast means and photocontrol means disposedwithin said hollow base portion about said vertical centerline, saidlamp socket being mounted offset from and at an angle with respect tocenterline, whereby a lamp mounted in said lamp socket will extend intosaid optical cavity with its light center falling at about said verticalcenterline.
 2. A compact area alighting luminaire according to claim 1wherein a baffle plate separates said base portion and said opticalcavity, said baffle plate having an aperture therein, offset from saidvertical centerline for receiving said lamp and socket therethrough. 3.A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 1 wherein a windowis located in the wall of said base portion adjacent said photocell tothereby permit said photocell to sense ambient light levels externallyof said luminaire.
 4. A coMpact area lighting luminaire according toclaim 1 wherein said lamp socket, photocell and ballast means lie withinsubstantially the same horizontal plane.
 5. A compact area lightingluminaire having a substantially symmetrical external configurationabout a vertical centerline and comprising; a base portion, a refractorabove said base portion defining an optical cavity and a cover memberclosing off the top of said optical cavity; a lamp socket and ballastmeans disposed within said base portion, said lamp socket being mountedoffset from and at an angle other than 90* with respect to saidcenterline, whereby a lamp mounted in said lamp socket will extend intosaid optical cavity with its light center falling at about said verticalcenterline.
 6. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5wherein a baffle plate separates said base portion and said opticalcavity, said baffle plate having an aperture therein, offset from saidvertical centerline for receiving a lamp mounted in said sockettherethrough.
 7. A compact area lighting luminaire according to claim 5wherein a photocontrol is also disposed within said base portion and awindow is locate in the wall of said base portion adjacent saidphotocontrol to thereby permit said photocontrol to sense ambient lightlevels externally of said luminaire.
 8. A compact area lightingluminaire according to claim 5 wherein said lamp socket and ballastmeans lie within substantially the same horizontal plane.